How much do you know about the history of glass?! Test yourself!

1. The History of Glass
The earliestknownmanmade glass datesbackto around
3500BC, withfindsinEgyptand Mesopotamia. WithBritish
glassoriginatingfromaround 4000 BC; back thenmost of
the glasswas highlydiscoloureddue toall of the impurities
of the raw material thatwasused.Colourlessglasscame
laterinthe same centurywhentheyfoundwaystopurify
the resourcesbefore heating.
It’sno secretthat glassmakingcame to Britain
fromthe Romans,the skillsandtechnology
requiredtomake glasswere closelyguardedby
the Romans,as theydidn’twanteveryone to
knowtheirsecret!Whenthe FirstWorldWar
came aroundBritainbecame completelycutoff
fromessential glasssuppliers,onlythendidthey
realise justhowmuchtheyusedglassineveryday
life.AfterthispointBritaintookglassmaking
more seriouslyandbegantosetup more factories
inSuffolkandSurrey.
Comingintothe 21st
century,more andmore people are concernedforthe environment,withthe
growingdepletiononthe ozone layer,glasshascome intoitsownas it isideal torecycling.Theyare
able to meltthe usedglassandreuse itagain andagain.
The Future
In theory,atleast,usingglassforthe screensof
mobile devicesseemslikeaverybadidea - how
manypeople doyouknow that have brokentheir
phone screens?The glassisheavy andregularwear
and tearmeanswhateveryou're lookingatwill
quicklybecome obscuredby amassof criss-crossing
scratches!So itis hardlyverysurprisingthatmany
manufacturersoptfor
lighter,cheaperand
more flexible plastic
screensinstead.
Fewof us can imagine modernlife withoutglass,Icertainlycan’t!Itis
everywhere we go, towork,to home,ourphones,ourfood
packaging,ourdrinks – Where wouldwe be withoutit?
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